Her Dark-Eyed Stranger
by ItTicklesLikeCrazy
Summary: There was no question about it. Nancy Bobofit was in love. He came into the coffee shop every Thursday afternoon, like clockwork. He would sit at the counter and stare at nothing, or look at mysterious pictures, or wait impatiently. Sometimes he even brought a book. Most times he just sat there and thought. And he was-undoubtedly-the most beautiful person Nancy had ever seen.


**I've always kind of been a fan of Nancy Bobofit stories, so, I mean, I tried one. It may suck a little (or a lot) but whatever.**

**I also don't own anything of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

**...Well, except these FanFictions, which I guess could be considered Percy Jackson and the Olympians stuff.**

**Enjoy!**

There was no question about it. Nancy Bobofit was in love.

He came into the coffee shop every Thursday afternoon, like clockwork. He would sit at the counter and stare at nothing, or look at mysterious pictures, or wait impatiently. Sometimes he even brought a book or homework. Most times he just sat there and thought.

It was black coffee, no sugars, no creams, no nothing. Just black coffee. Black like his eyes, so deep and endless. Nancy always had a black coffee prepared on Thursday, always just hot enough so he had to wait one minute, just one minute, before sipping. He was beautiful.

He always wore this dark jacket over any dark color of shirt. His black hair was long, but not too long. It hung over his eyebrows, but not his eyes. Perfect length, Nancy decided. In fact, everything about him was perfect. From his pale skin to his dark, romanticizing eyes, to his silky hair.

Nancy thought he was probably a year or two younger than her. That didn't matter. He was perfection, and she would freeze time on herself if it meant being with him. She would find a way.

Nancy had no problem to admitting to anyone that she was a little obsessed with this mysterious stranger who came by every Thursday. She didn't know his name, but he knew hers. Her full name: Nancy Grace Bobofit. She served him every Thursday without pause for over thirty Thursdays, and he always looked at her, smiled slightly, inclined his head, took the cup, and then went back to what he was doing.

Nancy knew that it wasn't very much. But nobody else raised a smile out of him. Normally he just sat there in dark beauty, but she brought him to life in the coffee shop. His smile was spectacular, special, and just for her.

Yes, Nancy was in love. She was in love with this not-so-tall, dark, handsome stranger who came every Thursday. And her movement so far in their eminent relationship wasn't war, but this Thursday, she was determined to push it further than ever. She was going to learn his name.

Nancy kept the cup of perfectly black coffee warm between her palms. It wasn't tainted by any sugar, nor with cream. Perfect for him. And any minute he was going to walk through that door, and she was going to wait just a little while before slipping over and giving him the cup, not even waiting for him to order. She'd show how well she knew him by giving him exactly what he wanted without him having to ask.

But the black-haired stranger that came every Thursday never showed up. He normally came around seven to seven thirty, but Nancy waited well through eight, even shouldering another shift, but he never came.

Nancy glanced at the clock in desperation. It was nine-thirty. The cup of coffee she'd made him sat on the counter, no longer warm, or even lukewarm. It was cold, cold like her heart.

"Face it, sweetie," the voice of her co-worker, mopping up the counter, called. "He's not coming. You've got half an hour until this shift ends. You may as well mop the tables and throw away that cup of coffee."

Nancy picked up a rag and got to work on the tables, the apron string feeling especially heavy on the back of her neck. He'd made this job worth it. She'd stayed thirty weeks longer than she would have because of her mysterious stranger.

She tried to console herself. Maybe he'd gotten caught up. Maybe he'd forgotten he liked to spend Thursdays at that neat coffee shop with the pretty, red-headed barista. But despite all of that, Nancy felt her heart becoming heavier and heavier. She couldn't help but assume the worst. Maybe he's been in an accident!

How horrible that would be. If only she'd asked his name, she could send him flowers at the hospital, to show how much she cared. Then he'd waltz in the Thursday he was released from the hospital, a black cast on his arm and a scowl on his face. She'd go over and set his black, midnight black, coffee on the counter, and he'd look up, and smile.

He'd smile. Not one of those almost-but-not-quite smiles he always bestowed upon her heavily beating heart, but a full smile. Just a flash of teeth. And then he'd say hello, and say her name, and introduce himself. Nancy would know his name.

Then Nancy would ask him, using his newly found name, how he'd broken his arm. And he'd reply with a story so fantastic that its secrets could never be shared with anyone else, but he'd spilled because in his moment of weakness that beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, spectacular barista had given him the exact type of coffee he wanted, just the right temperature and he couldn't help but be happy and share.

Then he'd plead her to keep it a secret, and Nancy would promise, and after a while of her not telling, despite the temptation to spill the secrets of the daring tale, he'd see how trustworthy she was. He'd be attracted to her gorgeous looks, and her trustworthiness, and would learn of her kindness, and then he'd fall in love with her, just as she'd fallen in love with him.

And then they'd become a couple, and she could rub it in everybody's faces who doubted, and he would laugh and tell her to be a little nicer, and she would, just for him, and for him this would be the most amazing thing in the worlds. And most couples had a special song, or the anniversary of their first kiss, but Nancy and her mysterious dark-eyed stranger would have each and every Thursday.

Nancy finished cleaning the tables, smiling from her fantasy, and went back and leaned her elbow on the counter, diving ever deeper into exactly what her dark-eyed boyfriend would tell her whenever she did something he found adorable, which would be always.

"Hey!" he co-worker snapped her fingers in front of Nancy's face. "Look, doll. I'm sorry that boy you're always drooling over didn't come today, but you have to dispose of that cup of unused coffee."

Nancy picked the cup up off the counter and stared at it. Reluctantly, she passed her co-worker and headed for the back, for the trash. The cup was directly over the garbage can, but in a last moment of indecision, Nancy closed her hand around the cup, turned, and walked over to the fridge, when she stuck the coffee. It would stay safe there. At least until her dark-eyed stranger came again.

* * *

Nancy wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about work on Fridays, especially since her dark-eyed stranger hand't showed up yesterday. And news of this had spread to all of the baristas. She got pitying looks and faint pats on the back wherever she went into the little coffee shop.

Nancy's shift was always a little longer on Fridays, extending from four-fifteen to seven forty-five. Normally it was from five to seven-thirty. Nancy normally didn't mind. She had still seen her dark-eyed stranger the day before and she had extra time on Fridays, because of the weekend.

Today, however, she had not seen her dark-eyed stranger beforehand, and that fact nagging in the back of her mind, coupled with the looks of pity from every direction, well it was enough to make anybody grumpy.

Still, Nancy managed a plastic smile Barbie would be proud of for each of the customers, but I think they could tell it was forced. A couple of the customers she'd served before, especially on Thursday, right before seven, gave her concerned looks. Six-thirty on Thursdays had become the time when Nancy was happiest. She was about to she her romanticizing, dark-eyes stranger. How could she not be happy?

Nancy wasn't very enthusiastic when the wind-chimes above the door, always so high-pitched and irritating, rang. She gave the lonely man who smelled of cat litter his herbal tea, trying not to scowl. Her day wasn't the best right now. It was only five-thirty, and she was in a horrible mood.

Her current fellow barista, different from the one from last night, poked her in the shoulder. Nancy worked with this girl more often, and knew she always kept her hair in a messy bun, and that her name started with a K, maybe.

"What?" Nancy scowled at K-girl.

K-girl held up her hands in an 'I'm innocent' motion. "No need to be snippy," she said. "I just thought I might give the next job to you."

Nancy wondered if this was some kind of joke. Everybody knew she was in a bad mood today. "What?" she snapped at the girl. "Why?"

K-girl motioned with a hand to the group of customers sitting down at the counter, and Nancy's heart skipped a beat. Six people. Five she didn't recognize. The sixth was her beautiful dark-eyed stranger. Nancy ran for the refrigerator.

Nancy didn't understand. He always came on Thursday. Always. Always Thursday. Maybe he got confused with the day? Unlikely. And who were those people with him? She'd have to get a better look at them when she delivered his coffee.

Unfortunately, after three fruitless minutes of searching, Nancy had to admit that she couldn't find the coffee. it wouldn't be hot anyway. Not the perfect temperature. She'd have to take his order, like she didn't know exactly what he wanted. She always knew exactly what he wanted.

She rushed past K-girl, who was just picking up her ordering pad, rolling her eyes, and slowed just in time to approach the group without them seeing her. She investigated them with her eyes, deeming each one worthy or unworthy of her dark-eyed stranger.

The first was definitely unworthy. He had untamed, curly brown hair and a scruffy beard with slight whiskers. Acne dotted his face like stars in the sky, and he was certainly unattractive.

The second was a girl with red hair, almost as brilliant as Nancy's but not even close to the shiny radiance that was Nancy's neatly tamed mane. She had angled green eyes, that might be passed off as stunningly attractive by some, but to Nancy they were ugly little pinpricks of sickening sage.

The third might have fit with her dark-eyed stranger, had it been just Nancy's dark-eyed stranger and the third stranger with him. That angered Nancy even more. Because the girl had punk-gothic fashion choices that so well fit with _Nancy's_ dark-eyed stranger. Because she had spiky black hair Nancy could never pull off, and eyes with a hue so blue Nancy was overwhelmingly reminded of the sky,

The fourth was a girl with eyes of stormy gray, but the girl could pull the color off. Her skin was tan, but her hair was the thing Nancy focused on. Blonde and curled to perfection. It had that look only one out of thirty girls can pull off. The look like, I just rolled out of bed, but my hair looks naturally like this. Nancy was jealous automatically, but felt a little better when she saw the girl was holding hands with stranger number five.

Stranger number five wasn't as attractive as Nancy's dark-eyed stranger, and he looked far different from the shorter, dark-eyed angel sitting next to him, but he was attractive in his own way. He was bestowed with the same silky black hair as her dark-eyed stranger, but instead of the famous, heart-stopping dark eyes, he had illuminated sea green eyes that had traces of blue within them. Nancy frowned. Something about those sea green eyes…

Then she reached them, and her dark-eyed stranger looked to her, and flashed a smile broader than ever before. "Hi Nancy," he said, and her heart jumped so hard she thought it might fly out of her chest. He'd remembered her name! It sounded so perfect off of his lips.

The fifth stranger accompanying Nancy's dark-eyed stranger, the one with the same perfect hair, but green eyes, was staring at Nancy, like he didn't believe his very own two orbs of green. His mouth was open slightly. Nancy wondered if she knew him. He seemed a little familiar. Like a long-lost memory.

Nancy's attention went to her dark-eyed stranger as he shifted. "So, I guess, what do you guys want?" he asked his group. So generous, letting them order first.

"I'll take some herbal tea," the red head with the unattractive sage eyes asked. Nancy smiled at the girl and scribbled it down on the writing pad. She made sure to write as slow as possible, to be in the proximity of her dark-eyed stranger for as long as possible. "How 'bout you guys?"

The punk girl with sky eyes spoke next. "I'd like plain coffee, if you can handle that." Nancy didn't think she'd like this girl very much. She hoped that this girl and her dark-eyed stranger weren't very close. "What about you Grover?" The punk girl turned to the scrawny kid.

Grover…? That name…wasn't that the name of a kid she used to pick on? Surely not the same Grover? Nancy's eyes went to who the question had been pointed at. The curly, brown-haired guy. Oh yeah, as far as she could remember, that looked like Grover, matured by four years. She hoped she had changed enough that he didn't recognize her. She didn't want to look bad in front of her dark-eyed stranger.

"Uhh…I-I think I might just pass," Grover stammered. Nancy tried to not curl her lip in distain. He was not worthy of her dark-eyed stranger's company. Why was he even here? He obviously didn't want to be here if he wasn't ordering anything.

"Well_ I _think I'll take a vanilla steamer," the blonde spoke up. Her gray eyes glittered, and Nancy glanced down to make sure her hand was still intwined with stranger number five's. It was, which was a relief. She was pretty, and if she had Nancy's dark-eyed stranger's attention on her often, there was a chance that she was a threat. Thankfully, it looked like she had a boyfriend in stranger number five.

The blonde turned to stranger number five, who now had a slight smirk on his face as he glanced Nancy up and down. His attention went to the blonde, though, when she looked to him. "What about you, Percy?"

Nancy _froze_. She should have known. Sea green eyes, and looking at her like he knew her. And of course, if Grover was here, then Percy had to be there. Plus, how many people were named Percy? Only one that Nancy knew, and he was sitting in front of her, smirking. He knew. Nancy could tell, without a doubt, he knew it was her. She could only hope that he said nothing.

Percy opened his mouth, and Nancy chanted in her head, praying for him not to blurt out everything, but all he said was, "I dunno. You have Coke?"

It took Nancy about half a minute to realize that he meant: did the coffee shop have Coca-Cola that he could drink? Nancy nodded, scribbled on her pad, and finally turned to her dark-haired stranger, heart pounding. She wanted to stop and stare into his eyes. She wanted to arise that dear smile out of him, but this time, just for her.

His lips moved, and Nancy blinked. She had to wait a moment to process what he ordered, but then frantically scribbled on her pad, even though she had his order memorized. Black coffee, plain. No creams, no sugar.

Nancy beamed at them, even though it was partially fake as her eyes wandered to the punk girl again. "Anything else I can get for you?" she asked politely, flashing a tiny flutter of her eyelashes at her dark-eyed stranger. He didn't seem to catch it, but that was okay with Nancy. He spoke directly to her.

"Actually, I think we're fine." His friends nodded in agreement. Percy was still smirking, but Nancy didn't dare send him a dirty look, just in case he decided he might share with the group after all. What would her dark-eyed stranger think?

"Alright," Nancy said perkily, smiling agreeably. "I'll be right back with your drinks," she told them, and sauntered off, shaking her hips just a bit for her dark-eyed stranger. As soon as she was out of view she stopped her jaunty and slow walk and sped up her pace to a near-sprint as she ran for the drink makers.

She tossed the order card to one of the guys making all the special drinks but ripped off the bottom part of the order, her dark-eyed strangers, and begrudgingly scribbled out the punk girl's order too, since it was the same as her dark-eyed strangers. She prepped the two plain coffees quickly as blew on the cup she had designated as her dark-eyed strangers, cooling it to the right temperature just for him.

"Nancy!" K-girl called her name, and shoved a tray full of drinks into her hands. The other orders. An herbal tea in a hot cup, a warm vanilla steamer, and some Coca-Cola in a clear glass. She loaded the two coffees onto the tray, one considerably hotter than the other, which was perfect temperature, and smiled shakily as K-girl said something that sounded like 'good luck' while she swished back to one of the drink-making guys. Presumably flirting.

Nancy steadied the tray, pushed down her swirling thoughts and hopes, and stepped back out to the counter. She sashayed over to where the six people were sitting, and heard a bit of their conversation before she got to them.

"…way it was your idea. You're too obtuse to think up something like that," punk girl taunted.

"Okay," Percy held up a finger. "First of all, I don't know what obtuse means." the punk girl and little red-head sent him exasperated looks while Grover sighed hopelessly. The gray-eyed blonde girl elbowed him, but he didn't seem phased. "And second of all," he continued. "Yes, it was my idea. Suck it up, cuz."

Nancy stopped for a moment, keeping the tray perfectly balanced. Percy and the punk girl were cousins? I guess that made since, but Percy looked so much like Nancy's dark-eyed stranger. Surely her dark-eyed stranger wasn't related to any of them?

"Nico?" The punk girl-Thalia, perhaps?-turned to Nancy's dark-eyed stranger. "You agree, right. Percy could so not think up a plan like that. He doesn't even know what obtuse means!"

Nancy's dark-eyed stranger, and Nancy realized Nico must be his name. She let the name fall off her lips, it's sweet taste dancing on her tongue. _Nico_. It suited him, she decided. Perfect, just like him.

Nico just laughed slightly and shook his head, messy hair going everywhere. Nancy's heart fluttered like a wounded butterfly. "Nah, Thals," he said. "I'm gonna have to side with Perce here."

Percy punched the air in success, smiling crazily. "Ha!" he teased. Thalia gave him scathing look.

"The plan might seem smart…" Nico continued, and Percy and Thalia turned to him. "…but if you look at it, it's got a certain impulsiveness that's not Annabeth's style. Percy's the only one mentally insane to go with something that instinctual. Not even Clarisse qualifies."

"Hey!" Percy protested as Thalia burst into wild giggles. The gray-eyed beauty and the red-head tried to hide their smiles as Grover shook with silent laughter. Percy pouted.

Nancy decided that this was a good time to jump in. She strolled the final steps, and they finally notched her. She set the tray on the flat of her arm, balancing it easily, and placed the herbal tea in front of the red-head, the scalding hot coffee in front of Thalia-the punk girl-, the vanilla steamer in front of the blonde beauty, and the Coke in front of Percy. Finally, with a huge smile, she set the perfectly-temperatured black coffee in front of her dark-eyed stranger-no-more, _Nico._

"Are you sure there's nothing more?" she asked, a bright smile on her face. Nico smiled slightly at her, but Nancy's heart pounded hard enough for it to feel her pulse in her toes. "No," he confirmed, "But thank you."

She nodded, not trusted her voice, and with one last wink, imperceptible by anybody except the one it was aimed at, she stalked off. As soon as she was out of their view, she doubled back and leaned against the wall. UN fortunately, she couldn't hear much of what they were saying, and only got enough to get the the red-head's name was Rachel, Percy, Thalia, and _Nico _were cousins, and the beautiful blonde was Annabeth, and indeed Percy's girlfriend. Nancy wondered how he ever got a girl that good-looking. But then again, Percy had definitely improved in the looks department since middle school. Not as much as his cousin, no, but quite a bit.

Finally, when the stubbornly indecipherable mumbled from the group ceased, Nancy assumed that they were done with their drinks. She waited for thirty seconds, making sure they didn't think she'd been listening in, and then hurried around the corner.

She beamed brightly at them, and tried to ignore Grover's loud crunching of an apple that had seemingly come out of nowhere. "Are you guys done?" she wondered, doing her best she appear as happy as possible. It wasn't that hard, with her dark-eyed stranger sitting right there.

"Yeah," Percy responded, and _Nico _nodded in agreement. Nancy took their cups and flashed a little smile and good-bye wave at _Nico _as they got up to leave. She quickly hurried to dump the cups in the sink, grabbed a nearby rag, and pretended to mop the counter a few feet from them as they gathered their stuff.

"Well she was nice," the red-head proclaimed, and Nancy assumed they were speaking of her. The red-head nudged _Nico_ with her shoulder suggestively. "And I think she had a bit of a crush on you." Nancy tried not to let her muscles freeze up. Was it really that obvious?

"Really?" Nico asked, head suddenly shooting up and scanning the coffee shop. Nancy tried not to look like she was eavesdropping. His eyes landed on her and she tried to peer at him out of the corners of her eyes without being too obvious. She felt a small but blotchy red blush rise to her cheeks as she accidentally met his gaze, and stared determinedly at the surface of the counter, trying to force the heat from her cheeks.

"Whatever," Thalia scoffed. "She's too perky for you, cuz. Plus, you don't want to date somebody like her. You know, a…" Thalia's voice dropped considerably, and despite Nancy straining her ears, she couldn't hear what was said. Nancy flushed. What was wrong with her. Somebody like her? Surely Thalia didn't mean a red-head. Rachel was standing right next to her with hair like fire as well.

Nico sighed, and it was a beautiful sigh to Nancy's ears. "Yeah," he mumbled, but sounded a bit more upbeat than seemed like the usual for a situation like this. "I suppose not. Plus, I don't think I'm ready for girls. Like, ever."

Percy laughed, but Nancy was struggling to reign in her emotions. "Yeah," he agreed. "Probably for the best, anyway."

"What do you mean?" all the five other's asked, befuddled by the tone in his voice. Nancy's heart turned icy with dread. She didn't' want to hear this.

But Percy just laughed again. "Don't' worry, little buddy." Nancy saw out of the corner of his eye that he ruffled Nico's hair, and Nico scowled slightly. "Grover can tell you all about the girl with the peanut butter and ketchup sandwich."

Grover's jaw dropped, and Nancy flushed and fled back into the kitchen, trying hard not to look like she was running. Percy cackled and ran out the door, with the others yelling things like, "What?" and "What does that mean?" after him. Grover just stood there with his mouth open, eyes bulging.

Nancy trembled, eyes watering, and she marched back into the kitchen, throwing the rag on the ground, along with her company apron. She grabbed her notepad and scribbled "I QUIT!" in large letters before pushing past the still gaping Grover and running out onto the street, running in the other direction from the four strangers chasing after Percy, who was laughing like a mad man. Nancy didn't even try to force down the icy warm tears that bubbled up. Surely Grover or Percy would explain, and her dark-eyed stranger had said he wasn't ready for a relationship. She didn't want him to seek her out just to tell her what an awful person she'd been to his cousin. Her heart would shatter the rest of the way.

**So...yeah.**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME, I guess.**


End file.
